S. Korea, US issue warning about N. Korea hacking group

South Korea and the US issued a warning about a state-backed North Korean hacking group in a joint statement Friday, with Seoul slapping a ban on the group -- the first time for any single country to do so. The group Kimsuky is known for collecting intelligence on national security and foreign policy issues involving the Korean Peninsula from individuals and institutions, and has been providing such intelligence to the North while helping the isolated country to develop what it claims are &ldquo

June 2, 2023

Military identifies NK projectile fuselage, salvage underway

The South Korean defense minister said Thursday that the military was conducting a salvage operation for a segment of a North Korean space launch vehicle believed to be from the second stage of propulsion, and was tracing remaining debris from the projectile a day after the launch ended in failure. Speaking before the National Assembly’s national defense committee, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said it is looking into the possibility of retrieving the reconnaissance satellite that North Ko

June 1, 2023

IMO adopts first-ever resolution condemning N. Korea's missile launches

The International Maritime Organization adopted a resolution strongly condemning North Korea's missile tests for the first time earlier this week, in a clear message to the reclusive country against its escalating provocations. The resolution, adopted at the 107th session of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee in London on Wednesday, denounced the launches as a serious threat to the safety of international navigation and urged compliance with due regulations, including giving prior not

June 1, 2023

N. Korea will pay due price for violating UNSC resolutions: S. Korean envoy

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's failed launch of a spy satellite has violated United Nations Security Council resolutions and the country will face corresponding consequences, South Korea's ambassador to the United States said Wednesday. Amb. Cho Hyun-dong also insisted that the North's provocative actions will only lead to further isolation. "North Korea has said it will conduct a second launch, but any such launch will carry a due price," Cho said while meeting with report

June 1, 2023

Kim's sister says N. Korea will 'correctly' place spy satellite into orbit soon after failed launch

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed that Pyongyang will "correctly" place a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit soon, state media reported Thursday, a day after the North's attempt to launch a spy satellite failed. Kim Yo-jong made the remarks as she slammed the United States for its denouncement of the North's botched launch the previous day of what it claimed to be a "space launch vehicle," according to a statement carried by the Nor

June 1, 2023

NK leader estimated to weigh about 140 kg with significant sleep disorders: spy agency

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is estimated to be experiencing significant sleep disorders and to weigh around 140 kilograms, lawmakers quoted South Korea's state intelligence agency as saying Wednesday. Director Kim Kyou-hyun of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) delivered the report during a briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to key ruling and opposition members of the committee. "Based on the fact that North Korean authorities have been actively co

May 31, 2023

Embassies keep calm amid false evacuation warnings

Air raid sirens and text message warnings sent by South Korean authorities Wednesday morning after North Korea launched what it claimed was a satellite seem not to have disrupted the daily lives of foreign national residents as much as those of South Korean nationals, according to several foreign embassies in Seoul on Wednesday. Residents in the country’s capital received Korean-language warnings from the city government telling people to prepare for evacuation without further details at 6

May 31, 2023

[News Focus] NK satellite launch tests renewed security cooperation

North Korea's attempted launch of its first spy satellite into space on Wednesday came at a critical time, as South Korea has been bolstering its military cooperation with the US and Japan to curb the reclusive regime's missile ambitions. But such an attempt by Pyongyang will only enhance security cooperation between Seoul and the two security partners, experts say. “The primary catalyst behind the efforts to restore relations between (South) Korea and Japan has been North Kore

May 31, 2023

North Korea admits satellite launch failure, vows second attempt

North Korea’s attempt to launch its first-ever military reconnaissance satellite into orbit ended in failure Wednesday, and briefly put South Korea and its neighbors on high alert when it disappeared from the planned trajectory. It was later found to have crashed into the sea. In a rare move, Pyongyang promptly acknowledged the failure of its attempt, but said it would conduct another launch “as soon as possible,” adding more pressure on South Korea and its security partners --

May 31, 2023

Yoon’s office says Seoul city ‘overreacted’ to NK launch

The presidential office said Seoul City “overreacted” when it sent an emergency text alert advising people to prepare to evacuate after an attempted satellite launch by North Korea. At 6:41 a.m. the Seoul Metropolitan Government sent phone alerts and sounded emergency sirens, warning citizens to prepare for evacuation, without specifying the destination. At 7:03 a.m., the Ministry of the Interior and Safety issued a message clarifying that the previous warning was sent in error. A se

May 31, 2023

N. Korean projectile may be failed launch: S. Korean military

A rocket launch detected from North Korea early Wednesday may have failed and Seoul is analyzing the issue, the South Korean military said. According to reports the rocket disappeared from South Korean authorities' radar before reaching a point in the trajectory the North had earlier announced. Seoul's military is currently analyzing the data for all possibilities including the projectile exploding and possible debris.

May 31, 2023

North Korea fires projectile, S. Korea on high alert

North Korea fired a projectile at about 6:32 a.m., South Korea’s military said Wednesday. The projectile, which the North claims is a space launch vehicle, was launched in the southwesterly direction, setting off warnings across regions in the South, including Seoul. President Yoon Suk Yeol called an emergency National Security Council meeting. The North had earlier announced that a space launch vehicle carrying a military satellite will be launched between May 31 and June 11. At about 6:5

May 31, 2023

N. Korea plans satellite launch as S. Korea aims for deterrence

North Korea said Tuesday its military would launch its first-ever reconnaissance satellite in June to monitor in real time "hostile military activities" led by the US, amid a doubling down on joint military drills by South Korea and the US. In a statement by the North’s state media Korean Central News Agency, Ri Pyong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, said “careless military movements by Washington and Seoul&

May 30, 2023

N. Korean satellite launch would violate UN sanctions: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- Any satellite launch by North Korea would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit long-range missile tests by Pyongyang, a state department spokesperson said Monday in a prebuttal of the North's planned satellite launch. North Korea has notified the Japanese government of its plan to launch a space launch vehicle between May 31 and June 11, according to earlier reports. "Any DPRK launch that uses ballistic missile technology, which would include

May 30, 2023

N. Korea open to high-level talks with Japan if Tokyo unshackled by past: vice FM

North Korea's vice foreign minister said Pyongyang is willing to hold high-level talks with Tokyo if Japan shows a change of stance on pending issues, such as the abduction of Japanese citizens by the North, the country's state media reported Monday. The statement by the North's Vice Foreign Minister Pak Sang-gil, carried by its Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), came after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently expressed his wish to initiate high-level talks with Pyongyan

May 29, 2023

S. Korea slams N. Korea's planned satellite launch, warns of consequences

South Korea on Monday "strongly warned" against North Korea's plan to launch a satellite in the coming weeks, vowing to make Pyongyang pay "due prices" if it goes ahead with the launch. "We strongly warn against North Korea's announcement of provocative actions that threaten regional peace and urge them to immediately withdraw their illegal launch plan," Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson of Seoul's foreign ministry, said in a statement. Lim warned the North will be made to

May 29, 2023

N. Korea notifies Japan of plan to launch satellite between May 31-June 11: Kyodo

North Korea has notified Japan of its plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11, a Japanese media report said Monday, as the secretive regime is preparing to put its first military spy satellite into orbit. The North notified the Japanese government of its plan to establish a maritime danger zone during the cited period, Japan's Kyodo News reported. North Korea also informed the International Maritime Organization of its plan for the satellite launch, according to Japanese broadcaste

May 29, 2023

N. Korea to hold plenary meeting of ruling party in early June

North Korea has decided to convene a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in early June to discuss economic projects implemented in the first half and other policy issues, state media reported Monday. The political bureau of the WPK decided to hold the eighth plenary meeting of the party's eighth central committee, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It did not disclose the date of the upcoming meeting. The plenary meeting will be held to review "the impl

May 29, 2023

Dead body of suspected N. Korean found on western island coast

Military officials discovered the dead body of a suspected North Korean man in a coastal area of a western island last week, intelligence officials said Saturday. They found the body, presumed to be of a North Korean civilian, last Friday on Ganghwa Island, 50 kilometers west of Seoul, prompting a joint investigation by the National Intelligence Service, the military and other related agencies, according to the officials. Authorities have also discovered items suspected to be drugs with the body

May 27, 2023

US has credible deterrence against N. Korea, seeks to institutionalize trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan: officials

WASHINGTON -- The United States maintains ready and capable deterrence against North Korea's evolving threats together with its key allies South Korea and Japan, ranking US officials said Thursday. They also said the US seeks to institutionalize trilateral defense cooperation between the three countries. "We share the widespread concern about North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, certainly a concern shared by our allies in the region, notably Japan and the ROK," Siddh

May 26, 2023